Before migrating large amounts of data into the StorageGRID system, confirm that the StorageGRID system has the disk capacity to handle the anticipated volume.

If the StorageGRID system includes an Archive Node and a copy of migrated objects has been saved to near-line storage (such as tape), ensure that the Archive Node's storage has sufficient capacity for the anticipated volume of migrated data.

As part of the capacity assessment, look at the data profile of the objects you plan to migrate and calculate the amount of disk capacity required. For details about monitoring the disk capacity of your StorageGRID system, see Manage Storage Nodes and the instructions for monitoring StorageGRID.

The StorageGRID system's ILM policy determines how many copies are made, the locations to which copies are stored, and for how long these copies are retained. An ILM policy consists of a set of ILM rules that describe how to filter objects and manage object data over time.

Depending on how migrated data is used and your requirements for migrated data, you might want to define unique ILM rules for migrated data that are different from the ILM rules used for day-to-day operations. For example, if there are different regulatory requirements for day-to-day data management than there are for the data that is included in the migration, you might want a different number of copies of the migrated data on a different grade of storage.

You can configure rules that apply exclusively to migrated data if it is possible to uniquely distinguish between migrated data and object data saved from day-to-day operations.

If you can reliably distinguish between the types of data using one of the metadata criteria, you can use this criteria to define an ILM rule that applies only to migrated data.

Before beginning data migration, ensure that you understand the StorageGRID system's ILM policy and how it will apply to migrated data, and that you have made and tested any changes to the ILM policy. See Manage objects with ILM.

A StorageGRID system is designed to provide efficient operation for object storage and retrieval, and to provide excellent protection against data loss through the seamless creation of redundant copies of object data and metadata.

However, data migration must be carefully managed according to the instructions in this guide to avoid having an impact on day-to-day system operations, or, in extreme cases, placing data at risk of loss in case of a failure in the StorageGRID system.

Migration of large quantities of data places additional load on the system. When the StorageGRID system is heavily loaded, it responds more slowly to requests to store and retrieve objects. This can interfere with store and retrieve requests which are integral to day-to-day operations. Migration can also cause other operational issues. For example, when a Storage Node is nearing capacity, the heavy intermittent load due to batch ingest can cause the Storage Node to cycle between read-only and read-write, generating notifications.

If the heavy loading persists, queues can develop for various operations that the StorageGRID system must perform to ensure full redundancy of object data and metadata.

Data migration must be carefully managed according to the guidelines in this document to ensure safe and efficient operation of the StorageGRID system during migration. When migrating data, ingest objects in batches or continuously throttle ingest. Then, continuously monitor the StorageGRID system to ensure that various attribute values aren't exceeded.

Data migration must be scheduled and monitored as necessary to ensure data is placed according to the ILM policy within the required timeframe.